Jeremy Hill was back, and he was back with a purpose last week versus Kent State. Before the first quarter was over, he had two touchdowns and better than 100 yards on the ground. It looks like he’s back as LSU’s bell cow, and they’ll need him versus an Auburn front that the Tigers struggled to block a year ago on the Plains.

Through three games, Auburn is second in the SEC with 22 tackles for loss. But the blue and orange Tigers rank in the bottom half of the SEC with yards allowed per game (157.33) and per carry (4.63).

The Bayou Bengals have been far from a juggernaut on the ground so far in 2013, but thanks to the right arm of Zach Mettenberger, it hasn’t needed to be. Yet. I’ll call it a push, because we just haven’t seen a whole lot out of either unit through three games.

Push

LSU passing offense versus LSU passing defense

Like I just mentioned, LSU’s passing offense, and more specifically Zach Mettenberger, looks completely different with former SEC head coach and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron at the helm. All Mett has done is thrown nine touchdowns and no interceptions for a spectacular 205.3 quarterback rating. The senior has been afforded all the time he’s needed from LSU’s O-Line, and the receivers have done a better job of getting open and catching the ball in 2013 (all factors that were disasters for the majority of last season).

Auburn has faced a pair of offensive geniuses in two of its first three games (Washington State’s Mike Leach and Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen) and has been torched by both. Wassu’s Connor Halliday threw for 344 yards, and State’s Dak Prescott rushed and passed for 356 combined yards.

Cameron should have a field day versus a still-rebuilding defense that was bailed out by a late touchdown to snap a 10-game losing streak in the SEC. Give me Mett and the gang.

Advantage: LSU

Auburn rushing offense versus LSU rushing defense

A misconception of Gus Malzahn’s high-tempo and high-scoring offense is that he chucks the ball all around the field. The list of 1,000-yard rushers in his collegiate career as a coordinator in the SEC has been staggering (Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Ben Tate and Michael Dyer twice to name a few). With inexperience at the quarterback position, Malzahn is relying on the rush as Corey Grant, Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne have split the load so far and ran the Plainsmen to three victories.

Different players, same defense Amazing how the Tigers can lose seven draftees to the NFL off its defense (not including Tyrann Mathieu) and still churn out defensive dominance. LSU has given up 110.67 rushing yards per game through three contests, third best in the SEC.

Because LSU knows Auburn will have to run to avoid putting too much pressure on first-year-starting quarterback Nick Marshall, give me the Bayou Bengals to stand tall.

Advantage: LSU

Auburn passing offense versus LSU passing defense

Yep, that’s right. Saturday Night in Death Valley will be Marshall’s first road start in major college football. You can bet this pantheon of concrete and steel won’t be too kind to him. The book on Nick Marshall may be a lot different through three games had he not come through when the chips were down last week. He led the War Eagles 88 yards down the field with less than two minutes remaining on game-winning drive, capped off with an 11-yard touchdown pass to C.J.. Usomah with 10 seconds remaining.

He showed the clutch gene last week on the Plains. He’ll need to again versus LSU’s amazing pass defense, allowing just 157 yards through the air through three games.

I hate to break it to you LSU fans, but Auburn has a clear advantage in the special teams department. Senior Cody Parkey is one of the best kickers in the SEC, if not the nation. He’s 7-for-8 this year including an impressive 4-of-4 from 40-to-49 yards out. His only miss was from over 50-yards out. I don’t care that Colby Delahousse is a perfect 4-for-4, his long is from 28-yards out. Anybody who watched the spring game knows how much of an adventure kicking can be in 2013, and I’m far from sold yet.

The Bayou Bengals rank tied for third to last in the SEC in punting, and if that wasn't enough, Auburn has a return touchdown already through three games.

Give the huge advantage to the Plainsmen here.

Advantage: Auburn

Coaching

Each coach has a championship ring. On paper, Les Miles did it as a head coach and Gus Malzahn did it as an offensive coordinator, but looking back, Manzahn had as much to do, if not more, with Auburn’s 2010 triumph than head coach Gene Chizik.

From an x’s and o’s standpoint, Malzahn runs circles around Miles, but there’s much more to winning than just x’s and o’s. It’s about surrounding yourself with great coaches, and the Bayou Bengals have the best tandem of coordinators in the nation, hands down.

Miles holds a 3-1 advantage over SEC offenses coached by Malzahn between his stops at Arkansas and Auburn, and he gets the advantage here.

Advantage: LSU

Prediction

Auburn is not the pitiful dumpster fire it was toward the end of the Chizik era. But it will need time to rebuild a winning culture and find players that fully fit Malzahn’s scheme. Expect Auburn to take some lumps in year one, Saturday being the first of those, but it’s hard not to believe in Malzahn and what’s he’s accomplished in the SEC as a coordinator.

Give me LSU to win fairly handily with its long-lost offense having another explosive game and its defense making Marshall look like he’s never played in front of 90,000 opposing fans before (because he hasn’t).

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